tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22955137659233924772024-03-13T10:19:38.880-07:00Once Written, Twice ShyA blog for writers who are not natural extroverts.Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-85307035486256244582018-05-18T21:38:00.000-07:002018-04-30T21:40:31.432-07:00I'm Ba-aacck!<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hey there! It's been a really long time since I've been active here. Life was pretty sucky for a while and I couldn't write. I won't bore you with the details, because all is well now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can't promise I'll be posting super regularly again, but I definitely won't wait so long between posts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm hard at work on my 5th Red Stilettos book. After that, I'll get back to my baseball and weddings series. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, it's great to be back, and nice to *see* you again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>:) Becky</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-34168651309249439162018-04-30T20:49:00.000-07:002018-05-07T14:42:25.204-07:00Fast Drafting to the Finish Line!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>May 7, 2018</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MEqnFlysLCaPa_15_OiT6tIqm1fK_RTsUCpsFH1irtPOvSoKBdVGDGmuw8GJm-j3bMaHXm03IGEb3fnElKftsdtWlX70I6DcPebnYytOCqJzRjAlFg0G9Q_CwcHSdLkde9p1Gr2218qU/s1600/writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="579" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MEqnFlysLCaPa_15_OiT6tIqm1fK_RTsUCpsFH1irtPOvSoKBdVGDGmuw8GJm-j3bMaHXm03IGEb3fnElKftsdtWlX70I6DcPebnYytOCqJzRjAlFg0G9Q_CwcHSdLkde9p1Gr2218qU/s320/writing.jpg" width="302" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I’ve been in a bit of a writing slump for a couple of years (due </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">to some crap life threw at my family) and haven’t released anything new (a
couple of re-releases, but that’s it). I’ve started and stopped a few books in
that time, but keep getting stuck.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">With every book I hope I’ll find a process that works for
me, but – big sigh here – my process is just a mess and I think I need to learn
to accept that. I’m a pantser (I write by the seat of my pants, with no/limited
plotting beforehand) who wants to be a plotter, who’s really a pantser who
keeps trying to be a plotter. Yes, I’m confused. LOL.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">It’s exhausting trying to be something you’re not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Years ago, I attended an RWA workshop called Fast Draft, by
the amazing Candace Havens. She is also a pantser who has written countless
books. She says the first draft is the hardest (I’d have to agree) and she can
finish the first draft of a novel in 14 days… by writing 20 pages a day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Considering I can barely write 1-2 pages a day, this number
is daunting. But she promises if you can stick with it, by day 3 or so, the
magic will take over and you won’t be able to type fast enough to get the story
out of your head onto the page. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Havens says the faster you write that first draft, the more
your muse will take over, the less your bitchy internal editor will yell at
you, and the more creative your story will be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Sounds promising.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So… because I’m tired of spinning my wheels with this story
(and the others I’ve attempted to write), I’m going to give it a shot. She says
the average writer will take 3.5 hours to get 20 pages written. And the more
you practice, the faster you’ll go. I don’t know if I’ll be able to hit 20
pages. But I’m going to try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I’ve got nothing to lose. My first drafts are completely
sucky whether they take me two years to write or two months. So why not try for
two weeks?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The rules are simple:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">No whining.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">The only excuse for not writing is if you’re in a coma or
dead.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Write as fast as you can.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">No going back to read/edit what you wrote the day before,
just keep going.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">No stopping to research, just make a note to yourself.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">If you’re more of a plotter, you can write up a synopsis
beforehand or scene cards or whatever you need to do to start writing the first
draft.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">No excuses.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The key is challenging myself to write more than I normally
do, and to immerse myself in the story world every single day. I want to live,
breathe and eat my story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I’m going to give this a shot. Wish me luck. I’ll update you
in a week on how it’s going. If you want to join me or try this yourself, let
me know in the comments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-29089397511379652552016-03-07T18:04:00.000-08:002016-03-07T18:04:00.433-08:00Week 5: The Artist's Way<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Week 5: </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Recovering a Sense of Possibility</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I apologize for my hiatus. My husband had major surgery and
it kind of threw me for a loop. So if there’s any time I need a creative
recovery, it’s now. Anyway, I hope to be
back on my weekly or sort-of-weekly schedule of going through this program. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This past week we were supposed to examine our payoffs to
remaining stuck. Julia Cameron said most of us have a limited notion to what we
are able to accomplish. I’d agree with this. Lately, with my focus elsewhere
and not on my writing, I don’t believe I can write at all. So I haven’t even
tried. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Cameron suggests we look to our higher power (whatever that
is for us) for help, saying that we must not set a limit on how much He can
help us or give us. Here’s the thing, while I’m not a religious person, I am
spiritual. And I’ve prayed every night for my husband’s healing. I haven’t
thought to pray for my creative recovery—it sounds so trite and trivial in
comparison. But perhaps I shouldn’t limit my beliefs to thinking I’m asking for
too much. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Cameron says we need to stop discounting our dreams, and not
be afraid to ask for help, guidance, abundance. Hmm. That’ll be hard for me,
given my circumstances now, but I will try. I will try to be open to
opportunities and at least <i>try</i> to
write again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">She also says we must have downtime to do nothing. That
withdrawal from others is a necessity to an artist. If we deprive ourselves of
this, we feel “vexed, angry, out of sorts.” I can relate to this. I have had no
time to myself for weeks. I don’t begrudge my husband or the situation, but I
guess it makes sense then that I have no creative well to draw from when I
barely have time to myself to think. I will work on this. I will try to tend a
bit more to my needs as I’m tending to his.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So… no major revelations this week. If my life wasn’t so
topsy turvy right now, I would have really enjoyed this week’s exercises and
readings. I’m going to assume my subconscious is taking in all Cameron’s advice
to use sometime in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Weekly Check-in:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Morning pages:</b> Except for the few days I stayed at the
hospital with my hubby, I have done these religiously. In fact, I believe they’re
what have kept me somewhat sane.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Artist Date:</b> Ummm, not really. I have been coloring in my
adult coloring book, which I find enjoyable and meditative. I feel guilty
coloring for more than a few minutes at a time, but some is better than none,
right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Any synchronicity this week?</b> If there was, I wasn’t paying
attention. LOL. Maybe next week…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-78829421358585640442016-02-09T21:35:00.002-08:002016-02-09T21:39:16.854-08:00Week 4: The Artist's Way<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Recovering a Sense of Integrity</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This is the week we start sorting through the differences between our <i>real </i>feelings (how we really feel) and our <i>official </i>feelings (what we project publicly). Julia Cameron warns this may be exciting or really difficult, or both. Uh, yeah. This week was hell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When someone asks how we are, we usually answer, "I'm fine," or "All good," or some other innocuous answer. But inside, are we really fine? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Our morning pages help us get to the root of how and what we are truly feeling, not just about our art and creativity, but about our lives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Life has been a struggle for me and my family lately. My husband has battled unemployment and now cancer. People are always asking me how we're doing, how I'm doing. I always say, "I'm fine. It's all fine. We'll get through this." I <i>do </i>believe we'll get through this, but am I fine? Oh, hell no. Inside my head, I'm curled up in a fetal position wanting to ignore the world because it's all so overwhelming. I've been writing down my thoughts in my morning pages, unraveling how I'm <i>really </i>feeling rather than the way I project myself to the outside world. I didn't expect The Artist's Way to help me get a handle on this most difficult time in my life, but it is. You can't hide in the morning pages. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Thanks to this program, I'm trying to find more alone time--time to think, cry, write my pages, do my weekly tasks, whatever. I feel like I'm nearing a break-thru, that I'll be able to write again soon. Every time I try, I just stare at the blinking cursor and no words come. But I really don't feel stuck anymore; I just don't quite know where I am at the moment. Cameron says that's normal. . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">This is also a week where we work on our changing self-definition. It encouraged me to finally start working on my goals for the year, in my writing business, health and fitness. I've been redefining what health and fitness means to me. Before my husband's diagnosis, it was all about losing those extra pounds I've gained, upping my workouts, achieving new feats of physical fitness. Now, it's about my general health and that of my family. I want to eat healthier and work out more consistently to be healthier, live longer and feel better, rather than to lose weight or look better in my jeans. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">On a lighter note...<b>Ugh</b>. This was the week of reading deprivation. Luckily, it took me 3 days into the week to read the chapter, so I *only* had 4 days of this special kind of hell. According to Cameron, reading deprivation "casts us into our inner silence." Even though reading is vital to a writer, by depriving ourselves of this inflow of someone else's words, new words will begin to form inside of us. Hmm, didn't really happen like that for me. I kept forgetting and would find myself accidentally reading. Oops. Instead of reading, I watched more Criminal Minds reruns, listened to some podcasts, and almost shot myself out of boredom as I walked on my treadmill with nothing to read. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Still, Cameron insists it's a powerful tool--"and a very frightening one. Even thinking about it can bring up enormous rage." Yep, that was me. Rage-aholic for the the last four days. LOL</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">All in all, it was an... interesting week. Glad it's over. Ready to move ahead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Weekly Check-in:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Morning pages</b>--Did these daily. I start the pages with 10 things I'm grateful for. Monday, #1 was "I'm grateful I'm allowed to read today." LOL</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Tasks</b>--I did most of them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Artist Date</b>--Nope. Why do I resist this? I have no idea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>How's the program going for you? Any breakthroughs?</i></b></span></div>
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Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-81859468035517397572016-01-31T20:44:00.000-08:002016-01-31T20:45:01.353-08:00The Artist's Way--Week 3<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Week 3<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Recovering a Sense of Power</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">You may have noticed that Week 3 took me two weeks instead
of one. While this program is 12 weeks in the book, I</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcUmuMOGxhxTykf1fer6yQcLoRBIFJqOH6PDiugYxEDv2nN3AlVO9nxclWN0F1ZBG1l6iSsBVDoczcyF7nMZ8FxJIZ6WCCMq16eecpaul-VXFudRa-d6BElK2WgAZHdbxSDX_8Tg4ZigG/s1600/AW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcUmuMOGxhxTykf1fer6yQcLoRBIFJqOH6PDiugYxEDv2nN3AlVO9nxclWN0F1ZBG1l6iSsBVDoczcyF7nMZ8FxJIZ6WCCMq16eecpaul-VXFudRa-d6BElK2WgAZHdbxSDX_8Tg4ZigG/s1600/AW.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> figured there was no harm
in going longer if I felt the need.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I ended up purchasing the workbook, and have been reading
through it, doing some tasks from earlier weeks that I skipped. I think the
workbook will be really valuable – I recommend getting it if you haven’t
already.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Every section of this week’s chapter spoke to me. The first
is about Anger. “In the recovery of a blocked artist, anger is a sign of
health,” Cameron says. Well, good. Guess I’m healthy. She says with a little
digging, we can figure out what our anger is trying to tell us, that it will
always tell us how we’ve betrayed ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I’m angry at myself for all the time I’ve wasted over the
last few weeks/months/years, worrying about this, that and the other thing
rather than just writing. I spend a lot of time telling myself “I can’t” or “This
is a waste of time” rather than just sitting down to write. I spend a lot of
time being jealous and envious of others’ successes; if I spent as much time
writing as I do comparing myself to others, I’d be way better off. If I could
grab myself by the shoulders and shake myself, I would.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cameron also talks about Synchronicity. This is probably my
favorite part of this whole course, because it’s so true. “Watch out for what
you pray for, you just might get it.” She says once we start our creative
recovery, synchronicity (answered prayers, the open door, whatever you want to
call it) will pop up everywhere. She says never to ask yourself if you can do
something. She says to say instead that you </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">are</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
doing it. And amazing things will start to happen. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Let your
hook always be cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a
fish.”--Ovid</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I haven’t experienced much synchronicity yet while doing
this creative recovery, but I know I will. I just need to keep my eyes open to
it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Another thing Cameron talks about which really hits home
with me is Shame. “What will the neighbors think” was my grandmother’s favorite
saying. It must have sunk into my brain because whenever I write a steamy sex
scene, I think <i>my mom’s going to read this</i>,
or <i>some of my co-workers might read this</i>,
etc. Why do I care? If I wrote graphic horror novels, I wouldn’t think twice
about friends and family reading those scenes. Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten
so many comments over the years about my choice to write romance. “I think it’s
time you take your writing more seriously.” “Did you know Becky writes those
smut novels?” “Do you actually read romances?” Yes. I love to read romance
novels. It’s my favorite genre. It makes sense that I would write it. So what’s
my problem?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I also feel shame that I spend so much time on my writing,
when I could be spending more time with my family, or cleaning my house, or
cooking, or any of the bazillion other activities I could be doing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Clearly, I have some serious issues to overcome, LOL, thus
this program and thus the reason for taking my time in completing Week 3.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Weekly Check-in:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Morning pages</i>—I do these daily. They are pretty whiny and
like a glorified To Do list lately, but my day would feel incomplete without
them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Artist Date</i>: Last week, I spent about 45 minutes at the
local Goodwill, looking at their huge selection of used books. I also like
looking through the furniture and vases and pottery. This week, I didn’t do an
artist date. I’m still resisting it. It still feels like a waste of my time,
which means I really need it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Tasks</i>: I did the majority of the tasks. Now that I have the
workbook, I plan to eventually go back and finish them all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">How’s your creative recovery going? Does my craziness make
you feel better about yours?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-57463213276855679692016-01-18T11:39:00.000-08:002016-01-18T11:39:37.564-08:00Week 2: The Artist's Way<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Week 2<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Recovering a Sense of Identity</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFCLSvSQ6QweHku0Gpp2lVTmqF3amUOqcioagGkz8oIV69sJvAzuub-OPnb0PF9W06jmX8Har2FfbSw4gBMwCRbm_m0Ph-Qo_Rk5ouWeIELHxeC8T1W9JRuGX8D1wWVol7ZyfVB2ze-BB/s1600/artist%2527s+way.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFCLSvSQ6QweHku0Gpp2lVTmqF3amUOqcioagGkz8oIV69sJvAzuub-OPnb0PF9W06jmX8Har2FfbSw4gBMwCRbm_m0Ph-Qo_Rk5ouWeIELHxeC8T1W9JRuGX8D1wWVol7ZyfVB2ze-BB/s1600/artist%2527s+way.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I just finished my second week of <i>The Artist’s Way</i> 12-week
program. This week, author Julia Cameron talks about how we doubt our creative
power. We question how on earth the “universe” might be cooperating with us as
we strive to find our creativity again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">But I had at least one instance where this seemed spot on. I
like to listen to writing podcasts while I’m driving. When one finishes, it
immediately goes on to the next one. Well, one day last week, the podcast I was
listening to finished and went right into the next. It was one about freelance
writing—something I had no interest in listening to and normally would’ve
deleted it and gone on to another. But I didn’t want to fiddle
with my phone while I was driving. I ended up listening to that podcast twice,
checking out the interviewee's blog and signing up for her newsletter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Long ago I had a dream of being a freelance writer, but that
dream got lost along the way of my life and my fiction writing career. But
freelance writing makes so much sense—I have 14 years experience as a personal
trainer/instructor/coach. Why have I not tried my hand at fitness writing? I have a background in graphic design and illustration. Could there be something in that industry I could write about? Hmm.
The wheels in my brain are starting to turn…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Cameron wants us to set aside our skepticism. When a weird
idea or coincidence pops up or presents itself to us, we should gently nudge
the door open and peek inside, rather than slamming the door to new ideas
and/or possibilities. Which is what I tend to do a lot. It’s all about being
open-minded (or open-doored LOL). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">She says creative blocks manifest in our fantasies, in our
daydreams. We need to start paying attention to those. “Sanity lies in paying
attention,” she says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">So starting today, I will pay attention. I will nudge that
door open and peer inside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">What about you? What do you need to start paying attention
to?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Weekly Check-in:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>I did my morning pages daily (easy for me; it’s been my
routine for 10+ years).</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Tasks—I did a couple of them; resisted these for some
reason.</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Artist Date—I went on a 4-day writing retreat with six other
authors. So I basically had a 4-day Artist Date, and it was fabulous, inspiring
and humbling.</i></span></li>
</ul>
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<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-44908921338005174732016-01-10T23:24:00.000-08:002016-01-10T23:24:16.066-08:00Week 1--The Artist's Way<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Week 1—The Artist’s Way<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Recovering a Sense of Safety</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/1IYdHJK"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFCLSvSQ6QweHku0Gpp2lVTmqF3amUOqcioagGkz8oIV69sJvAzuub-OPnb0PF9W06jmX8Har2FfbSw4gBMwCRbm_m0Ph-Qo_Rk5ouWeIELHxeC8T1W9JRuGX8D1wWVol7ZyfVB2ze-BB/s1600/artist%2527s+way.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I just finished Week 1 of The Artist’s Way, a book/program
written and designed by Julia Cameron. I’ve done this program before—the first
time in the mid-90s, back when “everyone” was doing it. I’m doing it again now
because life hasn’t been very kind lately and I really got away from my writing
and my creativity. I’m hoping these 12 weeks will ease me back into a creative
life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So… week one. It’s all about feeling safe with one’s
creativity, safe from others’ judgments and safe from my own. My internal
editor is a total bitch (her name is Helga), and AW is all about learning to
ignore Helga and be a bad artist for a while if that’s what it takes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Julia Cameron says our biggest enemy is our negative core
beliefs. She says if we are blocked in an area of our life, it’s because we
feel safer that way. Hmm. This used to be my issue, which is why I’ve done the
program before. But right now, I haven’t been writing (being an artist) for several
months due to personal reasons that have nothing to do with writing. Back in
October my husband was diagnosed with colorectal cancer after a routine
screening. His prognosis is good, but our world went topsy turvy, and my focus
turned far away from my writing to him and our kids. I haven’t written more
than 2000 words since early October. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Normally, that would really stress me out, but I’ve been
very patient with myself because I know I’ve been focusing on what’s important.
However… now that my hubby is between treatments for the moment, I feel ready
to get back to the page. I never feel quite right unless I’m writing. Unfortunately,
when I sit down in front of the computer, Helga is screaming in my ear so
loudly that all I can do is stare at my blinking cursor. She’s telling me that
my writing isn’t important at all, my husband is. That if I focus on my
writing, I’m not focusing on him. Or my kids. Even though they all want me writing again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I just can’t shut Helga up on my own. Thus, the Artist’s Way
to the rescue. I can’t say I’ve made a ton of progress in one week, but I did
my morning pages every morning (three pages of unedited, stream of conscious
writing). I did most of the tasks, and even did my artist date—Cameron says in
order to be a good artist, we must regularly fill the creative well. That means
taking myself on a weekly artist date. I went to Ben Franklin, a craft store I
haven’t spent much time in for years. I made myself walk down every aisle,
lingering longer in the print art and gallery section, and the art supplies
section. But I felt very antsy, like I was wasting time and should be doing
something else, like being home with my family (I blame Helga again). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, doing this program makes me feel like I’ve come home
again—maybe because I did it in the early days of my writing career, when I was
20+ years younger. I look forward to seeing what the program can do for me this
time, now that I’m older and wiser. (Um… Older, yeah. Wiser? Ha ha ha ha.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If you’re doing the program with me, let me know how you’re
doing and if you had any <i>a ha </i>moments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-44438353277927012982015-12-30T15:31:00.002-08:002015-12-31T19:49:02.409-08:00Becoming a less neurotic writer (is there such a thing?)<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/1mSz0SW"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFCLSvSQ6QweHku0Gpp2lVTmqF3amUOqcioagGkz8oIV69sJvAzuub-OPnb0PF9W06jmX8Har2FfbSw4gBMwCRbm_m0Ph-Qo_Rk5ouWeIELHxeC8T1W9JRuGX8D1wWVol7ZyfVB2ze-BB/s320/artist%2527s+way.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Author's Note: I will be starting the 12-week Artist's Way journey beginning January 4. I'll be blogging weekly about my progress. I'd love for some of you to join me.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In early 2015, I set a goal to become a less neurotic
writer. Well, it’s been almost a year, and I still have a long way to go. I
have a lifetime of bad habits and neuroses to overcome. Julia Cameron of <i>The Artist’s Way</i> calls this journey
“creative recovery.” Hmm. That has a much more positive ring to it than
becoming less neurotic, doesn’t it? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My personal journey involves daily journaling, meditating,
yoga and nature walks. I haven’t been doing any of those things as much as I
would like, but despite some personal life bumps in the road, I’m making
progress (but not enough, which is why I'll be doing <i>The Artist's Way</i> again). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I have the meanest, bitchiest internal editor to ever walk
the face of the earth. She is downright cruel. You should hear what she says to
me. It’s not even printable. I call her Helga. Ugly name for an ugly being. (If
your name is Helga, I apologize--I’m sure you’re a lovely person.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Some things I’ve been reading in <i>The Artist’s Way</i> have really hit home. Cameron talks about how
anger is at the root of much of our creative neuroses. She says that “in the
recovery of a blocked artist, anger is a sign of health.” Awesome. I must be a
flippin’ health guru, because I’ve been mad a lot lately. In fact, it seems I’m
always ticked off about something or other in regard to my writing career.
Recently, a couple of writer friends/acquaintances who just started writing
achieved greater success (ie: big sales to major publishers or making oodles of
money self-publishing) than I have in all my years of struggling. I went
through the mature reactions of “It’s not fair!” and “They haven’t paid their
dues!” and listened when Helga told me that I’ll never achieve similar success
because I suck as a writer. Yeah, it was a really pleasant time in the Clark
household. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Cameron asks us to pinpoint what it is we’re really mad at.
She says anger is our friend—it will always tell us when we have betrayed
ourselves. This was an <i>aha!</i> moment
for me. I’m not angry at these friends or even the situation. I’m angry at
myself—for the opportunities I didn’t explore, the countless hours I’ve wasted
not writing, the wrong turns I’ve taken. It’s all about me. Now that I realize
it’s me I’m pissed at, now maybe I can redirect that feeling into my work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Cameron also talks about synchronicity, which is another
word for answered prayers. <i>Be careful
what you wish for. Knock and the door will open. Ask and you will receive.</i>
However you want to say it. Cameron says once we begin our creative recovery, synchronicity
will pop up everywhere. It’s happened to me—a few months ago, I was telling a
friend and fellow writer that I wished I had some sort of group to keep me
motivated to write on days when I don’t feel like it (like today). Well, she
just happened to belong to an international group of women writers with a
monthly quota of submissions and critiques, and a few days later I had an
invitation in my inbox. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Try it for yourself. Put your wish or desire “out there” and
see what happens. And keep me posted. And if you’re a writer who is not
neurotic, please tell me your secret in the comments.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-29038358514753991102015-11-06T07:56:00.000-08:002015-11-06T20:28:51.117-08:00Interview with... CHRISTY GISSENDANER<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><b><span style="color: magenta;">Thanks for being here today, Christy. Would you please share a short bio about yourself? </span></b><br /><br />Thanks for having me! I’m Christy Gissendaner and I hail </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQGwDkzKV0Fet5N0_b9r12_Ju_ecxWtbyguy32aLTUBNx82ZROl9uIfPhyvJ81r4LX4ciASsqspQkynhHdwlqSwcsxMfLOOWuq_Y5K3qJPfpjvYmyLQs5y19OF2KWHWju3c1cRDIqwjTG/s1600/christy+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQGwDkzKV0Fet5N0_b9r12_Ju_ecxWtbyguy32aLTUBNx82ZROl9uIfPhyvJ81r4LX4ciASsqspQkynhHdwlqSwcsxMfLOOWuq_Y5K3qJPfpjvYmyLQs5y19OF2KWHWju3c1cRDIqwjTG/s320/christy+photo.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">
from the great state of Alabama. I’m a busy wife, mother, office manager, and romance author - or author(s), as the case may be. I write under two pen names, but I’m here today as Christy. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><b><span style="color: magenta;">Do you consider yourself a shy and/or introverted person? </span></b><br /><br />Oh my gosh, yes! Very, very shy and introverted. I’ve grown out of my shell a tad bit as an adult, but if I’m ever in a new situation, I revert back to the shy, introverted gal of my youth. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><b><span style="color: magenta;">In what ways has being shy or introverted hindered your writing career? </span></b><br />Online, I’m not shy AT ALL. In fact, I would almost say the opposite. Where being shy has hindered me has been at conferences and promotional events. I hesitate to put myself out there and do anything that comes across as “look at me”. Book signings are the worst! I stare at the table, unable to make eye contact with anyone. In fact, I still can’t make eye contact, even in my day to day life. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFI6hfWruXFofh2CH2E1ye6QxmX77yOWkFe6ZZW0SVNgmi0PDuO_uCVaRYNXsa3d30iTFnBU2zO1KMpY-3ePb-nWHJGIKOjBe3fydTNX3fdKHkd6jaeZ1fb9_MJs1mqzDCHLG6m-4__G2u/s1600/christy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFI6hfWruXFofh2CH2E1ye6QxmX77yOWkFe6ZZW0SVNgmi0PDuO_uCVaRYNXsa3d30iTFnBU2zO1KMpY-3ePb-nWHJGIKOjBe3fydTNX3fdKHkd6jaeZ1fb9_MJs1mqzDCHLG6m-4__G2u/s400/christy.jpg" width="266" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><b><span style="color: magenta;">In what ways has being shy or introverted helped your writing career? </span></b><br /><br />Hmm…that’s a hard one. Being shy also hindered me when I began to write sex scenes, which let’s face is a necessity in romances today. So I really don’t fell being shy helped me in any way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><b><span style="color: magenta;">What’s the hardest part of this business for you?</span></b> <br /><br />Finding the time to write. Hands down. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><b><span style="color: magenta;">Tell me about a time that you had to step outside your comfort zone either in your writing career or in your personal life? </span></b><br /><br />My day job requires me to give a financial summary at our monthly Board meetings. Even though it’s a small number of people, I absolutely dread standing up and speaking in front of people. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><b><span style="color: magenta;">What’s one tip you could share with shy and introverted people that’s helped you?</span></b> <br /><br />It’s okay to be shy. Not everyone can have the “big” personality! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><b><span style="color: magenta;">Would you please share a short blurb of your book and where my readers can buy it?</span></b> <br /><br /><i>CHRISTMAS SPIRITS (Available now!) Kia May has little time for anything as her lifelong dream of being a fashion designer comes to fruition. For Christmas, she takes time out of her busy schedule to visit her family, where her grandmother reveals a secret of her Baoule heritage. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>In Baoule, located on the Ivory Coast of Africa, the people believe in spirit lovers, which you are separated from at birth. Tedros, Kia’s lover from the spirit world, appears to her and reveals that he is there to assist her in finding a mortal lover. <br /><br />Elliot Melton, the brother of Kia's new sister in law, is also invited to share the season with the family. With the help of a meddling grandmother and an otherworldly spirit, Elliot and Kia soon find out that Christmas is the best time to fall in love.<br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">Where can my readers find you on the web?</span></b> <br /><br />Visit me at <a href="http://christygissendaner.webs.com/">http://christygissendaner.webs.com</a><br /><br />Thanks for having me!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>More about Christy:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Christy Gissendaner is a paranormal and
contemporary romance author who believes laughter and love should go hand in
hand.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Christy lives in
Alabama with her husband and three sons. She’s always hard at work on her next
novel, but in her spare time she loves blackjack, karaoke, and anything
resembling a vacation! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To find out more,
please visit <a href="http://christygissendaner.webs.com/">http://christygissendaner.webs.com</a>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/christygis">http://www.twitter.com/christygis</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/christygis">http://www.facebook.com/christygis</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/christygissendaner"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">http://www.goodreads.com/christygissendaner</span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: magenta;"><i>Thanks so much for coming on today, Christy!</i></span></b></div>
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Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-54058201163176062015-10-20T16:20:00.004-07:002015-10-20T16:20:52.728-07:00My new baseball romance is finally out!<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">LEAD-OFF BRIDE is book one in my brand new <i>Take Me Out to the Wedding</i> series. If you like weddings, baseball and happy endings, I think you'll like this book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="size16 Arial16" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 23px; min-height: 23px;"><a href="http://apple.co/1Vp0BVH" target="_self">iBooks</a></span><span class="size16 Arial16" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 23px; min-height: 23px;"> | </span><span class="size16 Arial16" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 23px; min-height: 23px;"><a href="http://bit.ly/1O5R5b4" target="_blank">Kobo</a></span><span class="size16 Arial16" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 23px; min-height: 23px;"> | </span><span class="size16 Arial16" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 23px; min-height: 23px;"><a href="http://bit.ly/1h7AhC8" target="_blank">Nook</a></span><span class="size16 Arial16" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 23px; min-height: 23px;"> | </span><span class="size16 Arial16" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 23px; min-height: 23px;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1WvFTG7" target="_self">Kindle</a></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BxRAOsbn2cI3mBGffIIIWLdQI9qGlgO0ZurhLBwGi4HyvSBpDa7M4DY9wfNdh574IprLk2lZ5yV0p0QQciXcy6CegBIMOapuHzFbGPx2Yk6pgeQEqXWW4_Gejw70cGBKVbh5Kv8JnsWL/s1600/LeadOffBride_CVR_SML.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BxRAOsbn2cI3mBGffIIIWLdQI9qGlgO0ZurhLBwGi4HyvSBpDa7M4DY9wfNdh574IprLk2lZ5yV0p0QQciXcy6CegBIMOapuHzFbGPx2Yk6pgeQEqXWW4_Gejw70cGBKVbh5Kv8JnsWL/s320/LeadOffBride_CVR_SML.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-32682078208938383882015-07-17T03:00:00.000-07:002015-07-17T03:00:03.213-07:00Stepping out of my comfort zone<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As an introvert, I like to stay tucked inside my comfort zone. But occasionally, I force myself out of it, in big or small ways. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The other day I did something I never do: I posted some photos of myself demonstrating exercises for a writing loop I belong to. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Now, you might think this is no big deal, but if you know me or are friends with me on Facebook, you'll see that I rarely post photos of myself. If I do, they're just parts of my face, rarely my whole face or body. If I find a photo I like, I use it for years. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'm a personal trainer in my day job. If you saw me in person, you might think I don't look anything like you might have expected a personal trainer to look like. I'm 50 years old, and I'm far from a size two. I'm very fit, but I'm certainly not "skinny." In fact, like many women my age, I have a few extra pounds I struggle to lose. I post a lot on Facebook and my blogs about fitness, but I've never used photos of myself demonstrating exercises, because I know what people's expectations are, and I'm just not comfortable sharing photos like that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But the other day, I did. I was trying to explain some exercises and finally thought, "Screw it. I'll just have my hubby take some pictures. That'll make it much easier." So I did. And you know what? The world didn't end. The internet didn't blow up. In fact, nobody even commented. So basically I was worried about nothing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sometimes, <i>we just need to do it</i>. Push aside our discomfort and do it. Whatever "it" is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What about you? Have you done anything recently to push yourself out of <i>your </i>comfort zone? Let me know in the comments so I can give you a virtual high five. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-45465687506148971772015-07-13T22:12:00.000-07:002015-07-13T22:16:29.375-07:00Starting From Scratch, Part II<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is an ongoing series on my process of writing a new story from start to finish. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You'll soon see that my process is a complete mess. But it is what it is. I am working on a novella, <i>Christmas in Stilettos </i>(Book 4 in my Red Stilettos series) that will be part of <i>Passionate Kisses 3: Under the Mistletoe</i>, a boxed set with nine other authors. It will release in October.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>STARTING FROM SCRATCH--Part II</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I am two weeks into the month, and I'm supposed to have this novella written (the first draft anyway) by August 1. I took the first week to plot and plan as much as a nonplotter and nonplanner can. I tried to figure out who my characters are, what they want, what the main conflict(s) will be. I thought about the setting, what my characters look like, who they are, where they live. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQhdm5Xdu97oB3tZHQGoCMmVQtITozQIR2qiLrYC4ZejnpDGaZd0nAIKNy1Sp9JOl1E-mfBZzwjyJOeg39Jh37BHkDkzuMf80OFskuFVAWoBWIPJyJkhI7DJ52vwTtSTTViPwgbEHjq3a/s1600/first+draft+shit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQhdm5Xdu97oB3tZHQGoCMmVQtITozQIR2qiLrYC4ZejnpDGaZd0nAIKNy1Sp9JOl1E-mfBZzwjyJOeg39Jh37BHkDkzuMf80OFskuFVAWoBWIPJyJkhI7DJ52vwTtSTTViPwgbEHjq3a/s320/first+draft+shit.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Finally, four days ago, I started to put down words... and soon learned that everything I plotted and planned means jack shit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'm about 4500 words into what I expect will be a 20-25,000 word novella. And it totally sucks so far. I'm so not kidding.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Here's my problem (well, one of many): As hard as I try to figure out who my characters are and where the plot is going beforehand, I can't figure those things out until I actually start writing.This is super frustrating to me, because I know I'd finish projects much faster if I could figure things out in advance. I can actually write a pretty fast first draft, but it's always such a mess, it takes forever to clean up and polish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I've been fighting my process for years, reading every plotting book out there, attending any plotting/planning workshop I could find. I've learned a lot. If my brain actually worked like a plotter, I'd be set. But it doesn't. Yet I keep hoping. I keep trying to plot and outline before hand, hoping with one of these projects, it'll magically come together for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Here's how my process usually goes (despite any attempts to </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA03vN84DahfYa1Eu6lRTMA0jxzyit5L_OQqp8oUQ1rHhWAYlj_B45ObAKFBJ0TxgKvqOP1EhoRhp6fzw3uaVE1tEioq5Y3KaRHVgZGKIo4QgpnERGH58xuLuUPVB50D0_SEoDO98Re4ux/s1600/bird-by-bird1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA03vN84DahfYa1Eu6lRTMA0jxzyit5L_OQqp8oUQ1rHhWAYlj_B45ObAKFBJ0TxgKvqOP1EhoRhp6fzw3uaVE1tEioq5Y3KaRHVgZGKIo4QgpnERGH58xuLuUPVB50D0_SEoDO98Re4ux/s320/bird-by-bird1.gif" width="201" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">tweak it): I will crank out a really, really shitty first draft (note: if you haven't read Anne Lamott's book <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1O2LVsD">Bird by Bird</a></i> where she talks about shitty first drafts, you must. In fact, click that link now and go get it. Seriously. I'll wait.). I've realized that whether I write my first draft really slowly and agonize over every word, or whip that puppy out as fast as I can, it will suck in equal measures. So I might as well write that suckage quickly, eh? [Check out these <a href="http://www.copyblogger.com/the-first-draft/">10 Rules for Writing First Drafts</a>]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So that's what I'm doing right now. I'm just cranking out the words. I call my first draft my <i>discovery draft</i>, because it's really more like a crappily written outline than a tangible first draft. I'm discovering new things about my characters and story every time I sit down to write. In fact, I often talk to myself on the page.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> I turn the font color red and just start "talking to myself" until I figure out what to write next. If I write total gibberish (like below), I'll just delete it when I'm done with my writing session. But if I actually come up with something useful, I cut and paste that snippet into another file to look at later during revisions.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">For instance, here's a snippet of Chapter One:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /><i>She shrugged and her blush deepened. <span style="color: red;">Really need to figure out where home is, etc. For each of them. Where is "home" for her. Colorado? Nevada? Some small town. He grew up in Seattle. I think. #@% I just flipping can't figure out who these people are! This is so stupid. What the hell comes next. what is she thinking right now? I don't care, which means my readers won't care which means I'd rather eat chocolate than write this shit.</span><br /><br />He knew why she hadn’t called them. It would’ve been awkward. Because she thought his family knew about their situation. “Yeah, about that…” He cleared his throat. "They assume you're coming with us.”</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Anyway...that's where I am now. I just reached the first turning point of the story where everything changes. The draft is total and utter crap at this point. But I'll keep going and eventually--I hope and pray--I'll start to figure out who the characters are and what their story is. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Until next time... keep writing!</span><br />
<br />Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-51009679379141346702015-07-01T20:42:00.000-07:002015-07-13T22:17:07.757-07:00Starting From Scratch--Part I<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Part One</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Along with some of my Passionate Kisses boxed set sisters, I will be doing #HoNoMo in the month of July. That means HOliday NOvel in a MOnth. In my case, it's a novella not a full-length novel. In order to meet my deadline and not get backed up on my other projects, I need to write the entire first draft in July. I thought you might find it interesting to follow my progress. I will post an update when I have progress.</i></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of serial killers...this one sits on my desk.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Not much in this world
is both more terrifying and exciting than starting a new story from scratch. (Well…serial
killers, spiders and clowns are more terrifying to me, but they’re not the
point of this post.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I have a Christmas
novella to write in July for a boxed set (anthology) with nine other writers
that comes out in October. All I have for it is the premise I’ve come up with:
“A divorcing couple pretends to be happily married when they go home for
Christmas.” I also know Francesca is the heroine and the title of her story
is <i>Christmas in Stilettos</i>. (She was a minor character in <i>Dancing
in Stilettos</i>, my novella that releases in late July if the sun, moon and
stars align.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">That’s pretty much all I
know. I am not a plotter. I am not a pantser (someone who writes by the “seat
of her pants” without a plan). My process is somewhere in between and it ain’t
pretty. Every time I sit down to write a new book, I think it’ll be easier,
especially if I’m “just” writing a novella or short story. But it’s not. Every
book is harder than the last one to write. Every new book convinces me that
I’ve forgotten how to write and will never, ever, EVER figure it out again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My messy process.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If I was a big drinker,
I’d be swigging tequila about now. But I’m not. I am a chocolater—and chocolate
does nothing for my creativity and only makes my bum bigger. But it does make
me happy. I’m eating a Linder ball as I type this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Back to the point of
this post… Starting a project from scratch. The first thing I do when starting
a new story is jot down everything I know, everything that’s been flitting
around my head. In this case, it’s not much. I know the heroine’s husband has
been deployed in Afghanistan and they decided before he left to split up. I
know they have twin toddlers. I don’t know where they’re going “home” for
Christmas or why they have to pretend to be happily married.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In my files, I have a
bunch of forms I’ve saved over the years from various plotting and character
classes I’ve taken. I also have a bazillion books on plotting and
characterization (because reading about writing is WAY easier and much more fun
than actually writing the damn book). At this point in the process, I use <i><a href="http://www.margielawson.com/lawson-writers-academy-courses#CourseList">Story Safari</a></i> and <a href="http://www.discoveringstorymagic.com/"><i>Discovering Story Magic</i></a> to start figuring out who my
characters are. I can’t start writing until I know their basic GMC (goal,
motivation, conflict). The problem for me is that I can’t figure out the
characters until I’ve written some of the story. See my dilemma? My process is
a mess!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">The basket I carry my process in...<br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But it’s my process and
I’ll cry if I want to.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The goal is to get to
the point where I feel I <i>must</i> begin to write. Once I “see”
that opening scene in my head, I’ll start. I’m not there yet, but I hope to be
soon, because my calendar says: July—write draft of <i>Christmas in
Stilettos</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Anyway… that’s where I
am right now. I spend a lot of time staring into space, thinking about my
characters. A lot of time walking my dog, ignoring my neighbors and
thinking about my story. One of these days—I hope!!!—I’ll be ready
to start the actual writing because the clock is ticking. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What’s <i>your</i> process?
I will love you forever if it’s messier than mine, because it will make me feel
slightly superior.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-8099921401575098452015-06-28T17:13:00.004-07:002015-06-28T17:22:16.462-07:00My apologies and news<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Boy, I've been lame-OH! in keeping up on this blog these past few months. I go in spurts where I'm really, really good and devoted to keeping it updated, then spurts where all you hear is crickets when you come on here. Where did everybody go???</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMEP4h6um7-xOdm5XiQBvWplELrB_VjHTZpcI4o3nuteq0JRgJENdleBvujiYbKnsHZKyR6gf4GqZ2DpcyFmIn-WbrzluzzbZ5brio4BMeZjhyphenhyphenga3jMyCshM9Bk5mgVkqyzIdwg2JeZSn/s1600/main+st+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMEP4h6um7-xOdm5XiQBvWplELrB_VjHTZpcI4o3nuteq0JRgJENdleBvujiYbKnsHZKyR6gf4GqZ2DpcyFmIn-WbrzluzzbZ5brio4BMeZjhyphenhyphenga3jMyCshM9Bk5mgVkqyzIdwg2JeZSn/s400/main+st+image.jpg" width="332" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I'll be starting a series of posts called <i>Starting from Scratch</i>, where I'll take you through my totally effed up process of beginning a book/story from scratch until it's ready to go to my editor. For this project, I'll be working on <i>Christmas in Stilettos</i>, which will be part of the <i>Passionate Kisses 3</i> boxed set (PK 2 hit the USA Today best-seller list, if you remember). I have on my calendar that I'll be writing the first draft in July. Some of my PK sisters and I will be doing #HoNoMo (Holiday Novel in a Month) with <a href="http://campnanowrimo.org/">Camp NaNoWriMo</a>, to spur each other on, so I'll keep you posted on how that's going, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Here's some other news--my new boxed set <i>Summer on Main Street</i> just released with five other authors. It has six sizzling small-town romances. I've include the links if you don't yet have your copy. It's just 99 cents!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1xl3AZl">Kindle </a>| <a href="http://bit.ly/1COmYgx">Nook </a>| <a href="http://bit.ly/1C8VAr4">Kobo </a>| <a href="http://apple.co/1FwM4BJ">iBooks</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-51714697402952028892015-02-25T03:00:00.000-08:002015-02-25T03:00:06.953-08:00Fabulous Firsts with... KATE HILL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwV52ZMWRq-wnOF977Gb1wYZrOlcjSyjFv76l30ejDK8OkS9S3hk8EcedFgQQ-h-bK60oWWtqxnyBbj9GNhS3W5UnZH3zVPBTgsNo22ghhNhTGCHIPygucAIW4XJBpJ5MkLrz4NcNyfff/s1600/FF+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwV52ZMWRq-wnOF977Gb1wYZrOlcjSyjFv76l30ejDK8OkS9S3hk8EcedFgQQ-h-bK60oWWtqxnyBbj9GNhS3W5UnZH3zVPBTgsNo22ghhNhTGCHIPygucAIW4XJBpJ5MkLrz4NcNyfff/s1600/FF+logo.jpg" height="133" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>STARVING ARTIST</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b></span></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Blair remembered the day
he first met Grace. He was working as a stable hand in the home of a wealthy
lord. She was the blacksmith’s daughter and had come to the stable to fetch her
father because her younger brother had taken ill. Blair had fallen in love with
her at first sight, but being a young man and wanting to see the world, he had
recently joined the army. They had little time together before he left and was
soon sent to war.</span></i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Available now!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Starving-Artist-Scarlet-Nights-1-ebook/dp/B00T4XEW80/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423948921&sr=8-1&keywords=kate+hill+starving+artist">Amazon </a>| <a href="http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=2342">Changeling Press</a> | <a href="https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-starvingartistscarletnights-1738422-140.html">All Romance eBooks</a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">* * * * *</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT KATE</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">What was the first romance you ever read?</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I was in grammar school and it was an old Harlequin called
<i>My Tender Fury</i>. If I remember correctly, the hero was a teacher. Even way back
then I thought the romance was a little too sweet, but I enjoyed it. :-)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">Tell me about your very first kiss?</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'm afraid this first wasn't so fabulous. :-) My first kiss
was so disgusting it almost turned me off ever kissing again. Not the right
person, not the right moment. Nothing about it was right, except that it showed
me what I didn't want in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">What’s the first thing you do when you start writing a new
story?</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The first thing I do is start getting to know the
characters. I spend a lot of time thinking about them, taking notes and
imagining how they would react to different situations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>MORE ABOUT KATE</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Always a fan of romance and the paranormal, Kate Hill
started writing over twenty years ago for pleasure. Her first story, a short
erotic vampire tale, was accepted for publication in 1996. Since then she has
sold over one hundred short stories, novellas and novels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When she's not working on her books, Kate enjoys reading,
working out and spending time with her family and pets. Kate also writes under
the pen name Saloni Quinby. She enjoys hearing from readers and she can be
contacted at <a href="file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Joanne/My%20Documents/Downloads/katehill@sprintmail.com">katehill@sprintmail.com</a>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Find Kate online here</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.kate-hill.com/">Website </a>| <a href="https://www.facebook.com/katehillsaloniquinby">Facebook </a>| <a href="https://twitter.com/katehillromance">Twitter</a></b></span></div>
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Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-56419747477521577912015-02-02T21:08:00.002-08:002015-02-02T21:09:56.897-08:00New boxed set available to pre-order!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">The same authors from the best-selling Passionate Kisses, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">are proud to present</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"> Passionate Kisses 2: Love in Bloom. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">Available now to pre-order, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">releases February 17! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">Get your copy now!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1tZfoyA">Kindle </a>| <a href="http://bit.ly/12tDwwy">Nook </a>| <a href="http://bit.ly/1G2Cs1z">iBooks </a>| <a href="http://bit.ly/1G3j9Ft">Kobo </a></span><br />
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Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-59777763211130427282014-11-03T19:20:00.002-08:002014-11-03T19:23:12.619-08:00Meatless Mondays--Mexican Lasagna<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It's not that I don't love a good steak or cheeseburger every now and then, but I just feel better when I eat less meat. So, my family enjoys <i>Meatless Mondays</i>. Here's what we had tonight.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbKqwDrU80m8Y6JigrOk4Att8iCFNbUel1s-znhteSfqyu9F1JKrqv_G-QQyjQrtjXClufw8pb37dg4qoe0rXGczQJYHJQctVYjl6BgKZkPch2Q6VXJLDNpi66wkgGAIWxkhMdDf7_-Wa/s1600/IMG_0284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbKqwDrU80m8Y6JigrOk4Att8iCFNbUel1s-znhteSfqyu9F1JKrqv_G-QQyjQrtjXClufw8pb37dg4qoe0rXGczQJYHJQctVYjl6BgKZkPch2Q6VXJLDNpi66wkgGAIWxkhMdDf7_-Wa/s1600/IMG_0284.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>MEXICAN LASAGNA</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1/2 onion, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2 cloves garlic, chopped (I actually use about four, but I love garlic)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">2 tsp olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1 can mexican stewed tomatoes, pureed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1 can black beans, drained</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1-2 cups frozen or canned corn (I use frozen)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">1 cup salsa</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Shredded cheddar cheese (I use lighter fat cheese, made with 2% milk)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Corn tortilla chips (I used baked chips)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 8x8 pan with cooking spray (I double this recipe and use a cake size pan). Saute onion in the oil until it's translucent. Add garlic. Stir until the room fills with yummy garlic and oniony smells, then add the tomatoes, beans and corn. Cook on low until bubbly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sprinkle a layer of crushed tortilla chips on the bottom of the pan. Spoon a layer of the bean mixture on top. Sprinkle light coating of shredded cheese. Repeat layers of chips and beans. Top the whole thing with the salsa, then add another light layer of shredded cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes until it's all bubbly and yummy looking. Serve with a big side of non-starchy vegetables.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You'll never miss the meat. I promise!</span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">P.S. Trying to fit in exercise to your busy schedule? This is a CXE recipe: Cook. Exercise. Eat. Put dinner in the oven. You have 35 minutes to workout while it cooks. No excuses. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-45204145200297932622014-10-15T03:00:00.000-07:002014-10-15T22:28:18.323-07:00Fabulous Firsts with... MYA O'MALLEY<div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The first few sentences of... WHERE THERE IS LOVE </b></span></span><br />
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</b></span><br /><br /><i><span style="font-size: large;">We were just finishing up our drinks when Derek slammed me with the inevitable question. The question that has been looming on the horizon for a while now; hanging there like a branch ready to snap if the slightest breeze blows by. It was a shame, too, because I was actually having a great time with Derek, relaxing and sharing a delicious meal.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"> Celia’s is on the outskirts of town. It’s a dark, romantic restaurant that takes you back to an old romantic era, one where life was simple. Old wine bottles from years ago garnish the walls and add to the old world charm. Sconces with thick, white candles adorn the wall next to our table. I hear Simon, the regular fixture at Celia’s. Simon plays the piano on weekends; I find myself lost in a sobbing rendition of Chopin. Butterflies come to mind, floating, dipping, flying. I shake my head to clear my thoughts as I hear Derek speaking to me.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">“What do you think?” Derek gazes at me, grasping my hand tighter, with a hopeful look in his eyes. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">“Um, sorry?” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"> “Mia, will you move in with me?”</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Where-There-Love-Mya-OMalley-ebook/dp/B00NOC0PAG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1411040390&sr=1-1&keywords=Where+there+is+love+mya+o%27malley">Amazon </a>| <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/where-there-is-love-mya-omalley/1120406342?ean=9781625261274">Barnes & Noble</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT MYA</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>What was the first Rated R movie you ever saw?</b> The first R-Rated movie that I watched was The Amityville Horror. I can remember being afraid to go to sleep. Several years later, I read the book and it scared me just as much. I really don’t enjoy watching horror movies, so now I pass on most of them. <br /><br /><br /><b>What was the first romance you ever read?</b> I don’t remember exactly which book it was, but Danielle Steel was definitely the first romance author that I read. At the time, I read one book after the other, she was one of my favorite authors. I have watched the movies of several of her books on television lately and I still enjoy her stories tremendously. <br /><br />I have always loved the idea of romance, even as a young teen I can remember my aunt commenting that I seemed like a romantic at heart and that I should never change. <br /><br /><b>Tell me about the first novel you ever wrote? What ever happened to it? </b>There’s something special about an author’s very first novel. The first novel that I ever wrote is Where There is Love. The original version is quite different than the actual novel that is now released with Solstice Publishing. My main character, Mia, struggles with a challenging past which has caused trouble in her relationships years later. Mia becomes a mentor for a student that she teaches and reevaluates her own choices in life. Will Mia open her heart to love or will she continue to repeat past mistakes? The story took me several years to write. I made some major changes in terms of characters and points of view in the story and then even after I received a contract for it, I made significant changes to the story. I love the story as it is now, but I have kept the very first original version, which I will always cherish as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>MORE ABOUT MYA--</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Mya O’Malley was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City, where she currently lives with her husband, daughter and three step-daughters. The family also consists of two boxers; Destiny and Dolce and a ragdoll cat named Colby. Mya earned an undergraduate degree in special education and a graduate degree in reading and literacy. She works as a special education teacher and enjoys making a difference in the lives of her students. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /> Mya currently has two new releases: At First Sight, a contemporary romance about dating in the modern world, published by Astraea Press, and Where There is Love, a contemporary romance in which a woman struggles with past obstacles, ultimately faced with whether or not she will open her heart to love. Where There is Love is published with Solstice Publishing. Mya is excited to say that Astraea Press will be releasing her contemporary holiday paranormal romance titled If You Believe on November 25, 2014. <br /><br /> Mya’s passion is writing; she has been creating stories and poetry since she was a child. Mya spends her free time reading just about anything she can get her hands on. She is a romantic at heart and loves to create stories with unforgettable characters. Mya likes to travel; she has visited several Caribbean Islands, Mexico and Costa Rica. Mya is currently working on her sixth novel.<span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://facebook.com/myaomalley">Facebook </a>| <a href="http://www.myaomalley.com/">Website </a>| <a href="http://myaomalley.blogspot.com/">Blog </a>| <a href="http://twitter.com/@MyaOMalley">Twitter </a>| <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/myaomalley">Pinterest </a></span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/myaomalley"> </a></span></span></div>
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Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-1727984159361186322014-09-27T12:26:00.000-07:002014-09-27T12:26:21.712-07:00FABULOUS FIRSTS WITH... Christina Lorenzen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>The first few sentences of... A HUSBAND FOR DANNA</b></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Panting from the short dash from the church to the curb, Danna looked around wild-eyed, spotting </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a limo at the
curb. The fact that it wasnʹt her bridal partyʹs limousine didnʹt
matter. She ran around to the driverʹs side and flung open the door. The sound of her wedding gown tearing broke the silence in the big empty car. Frustrated, she shoved away the seat belt
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/:%20http://www.amazon.com/Husband-Danna-Christina-Lorenzen-ebook/dp/B00MTACNG8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411140438&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Husband+for+Danna">Amazon </a>| <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-husband-for-danna-christina-lorenzen/1120159014?ean=2940150676497">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/468717">Smashwords</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT CHRISTINA</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">What was the first
romance you ever read?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I actually started with romantic suspense novels by
Phyllis Whitney and books by Victoria Holt and Kathleen Woodiwiss. My
grandmother was a voracious reader and always had a stack of books from the
library. I would read hers and find new authors for myself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">Tell me about the
first novel you ever wrote? What ever happened to it?</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The first novel I
ever wrote was a YA. Actually there were 3 YAs that I wrote but it was long ago
and I was a teen. Around senior year I landed a job writing for a local paper
and once I saw how writing articles could pay money almost instantly, I packed
up my fiction dreams and those 3 manuscripts. To this day I don’t know what
happened to them. I’m thinking they’re buried in the attic of my parents’ house
never to see the light of day again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Like anything else
that’s new in life, starting out is the most exciting part. When I’m ready to
start a new story the first thing I do is head to my local office supply store
to pick out a notebook. For each novel I write I keep a novel notebook. Since I
don’t do formal outlines and I’m basically a pantster, the notebook is where I
jot down the beginnings of the story. I write out the basic premise, the names
of the hero and heroine, the setting and other details that I know at the
start. Even when I’m not writing I’m planning that book so the notebook is
where I jot down insights and sudden ideas and details. I play with this
notebook for quite a while. Then when the actual writing of the first draft
begins I keep the notebook next to my laptop. At the end of each writing
session I jot down notes about what I wrote that day. If I have concluded a
chapter, I write up a summary of what happened and to whom in the notebook. The
notebook is also excellent for keeping track of things like days, time, months,
hair color, eye color. It’s easy to start out with a blue eyed hero and then
suddenly find yourself writing “his chocolate brown eyes” chapters down the
road. The notebook helps with continuity, which is vital to authors because
readers do notice.</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>MORE ABOUT CHRISTINA</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Christina Lorenzen started writing as a young teen, jotting
stories in wire ring composition notebooks. Her first typewriter made it faster
to get all those stories out of her head and down on paper. Her love of writing
has sustained her through a myriad of jobs that included hairdresser, legal
secretary, waitress and door to door saleswoman. Luckily for her, writing
proved to be successful and a lot less walking than going door to door. <b>A
Husband for Danna</b> is Christina’s first novel. She is busy working on her next.
When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found walking her dog, talking to
her herd of cats and spending time with her family.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christina-Lorenzen/707098909370699?ref=hl">Facebook </a>| <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisFoxLorenz">Twitter </a>| <a href="http://christinalorenzen.com/thereisnoplacelikehome/">Blog</a></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ycMO2VUUdpVfVJtg58ldhqQTXHb11yT6zZhiEJzIzV-5A2nKNU5f4jKAopVH1mn3WB_0mEXkn6lR_p7rDC3D2jBxn3nJIFxYcayxiHU8RD9DmAwylMlhsmV1BteOKHsrzdp6OsCAwvjN/s1600/FF+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ycMO2VUUdpVfVJtg58ldhqQTXHb11yT6zZhiEJzIzV-5A2nKNU5f4jKAopVH1mn3WB_0mEXkn6lR_p7rDC3D2jBxn3nJIFxYcayxiHU8RD9DmAwylMlhsmV1BteOKHsrzdp6OsCAwvjN/s1600/FF+logo.jpg" height="133" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>The first few sentences of... </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>BEACON OF LOVE</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>One of the 10 novels in the Passionate Kisses boxed set (see photo to left)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Just 99 cents and available now!</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLaykKUw2A0jJ8hSaV7BmwZpGZ9DLRAPaGn9NMat62ApJJFQa6T8D0abXl-1hPCgoXf4I350653kALfZBI4BhPt5XawRuPm0vLOxhymJky7ppF2bXjyO1VfYiW1d4BLdmj6y_iJ7MfCAQ/s1600/beaconoflove_2500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLaykKUw2A0jJ8hSaV7BmwZpGZ9DLRAPaGn9NMat62ApJJFQa6T8D0abXl-1hPCgoXf4I350653kALfZBI4BhPt5XawRuPm0vLOxhymJky7ppF2bXjyO1VfYiW1d4BLdmj6y_iJ7MfCAQ/s1600/beaconoflove_2500.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">Sophie picked up her notepad and looked over the points she’d jotted earlier in the day. Her driver slowed the car to a crawl as rain poured down around them, dark and heavy, the thick, eggy kind of drops that thudded ominously against everything they hit and sounded as though they might turn to hail at any moment.<br /><br /><i>Reason for the murders?<br />Lights or voices or both?<br />Woman on the beach?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Passionate-Kisses-Boxed-Set-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B00KPK4UNI/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1402347131&sr=1-2&keywords=passionate+kisses" style="color: #0066cc; font-size: x-large;">Amazon</a><span style="font-size: medium;"> | </span><a href="http://bit.ly/1lKhoUM" style="color: #0066cc;"><span style="font-size: large;">B&N</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> |</span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/passionate-kisses-boxed-set/id885808199?mt=11" style="color: #0066cc; font-size: x-large;">iTunes</a><span style="font-size: medium;"> |</span><a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/passionate-kisses-boxed-set" style="color: #0066cc; font-size: x-large;">Kobo</a><span style="font-size: medium;"> | </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Wendy_Ely_Passionate_Kisses_Boxed_Set?id=edOxAwAAQBAJ" style="color: #0066cc; font-size: x-large;">GooglePlay</a><span style="font-size: medium;"> | </span><a href="https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-passionatekissesboxedset-1527653-166.html" style="color: #0066cc; font-size: x-large;">All Romance</a><span style="font-size: medium;"> |</span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22312602-passionate-kisses-boxed-set?from_search=true" style="color: #0066cc; font-size: x-large;">Goodreads</a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT ALLIE</b></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Tell me about the
first novel you ever wrote? What ever happened to it?</b></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Actually, the first novel I ever completed, back in 2007,
was published by a small press under the title <i>Lost in Paradise</i>. It’s a story about a fresh Harvard grad whose
family is embroiled in scandal, so she moves to the small town of Paradise, New
Hampshire, for a summer and takes on an alias so she can escape the media
circus. She moves into the upstairs apartment of a rental house…and our hero,
the very sexy, single uber-bachelor of Paradise, moves in downstairs. First
Ashton and Eddie become friends…they then become more…then Ashton’s secret is
uncovered. Last year, I got the rights to this story back, added a couple of
chapters, and re-released it as The Promise of Paradise – which also happens to
be the prequel to the Hometown Heroes series! And the very sexy, single
uber-bachelor Eddie is still my favorite hero to date.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">Tell me about your
very first kiss?</span></b></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Oh, sigh. My first (real) kiss was with a guy I had an
enormous crush on in high school. I was at a party and my date had deserted me
to talk to his ex-girlfriend, so my crush took me home…only we didn’t go home
first. We went parking. Enough said. I almost missed my curfew that night, but
it was worth it! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">If you won the
lottery, what’s the first thing you’d buy?</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">A plane ticket to London! I love to travel, and have been to
some fantastic places both in the United States and abroad, but one place
that’s still on my bucket list is London, England. I mean, when you’re an
English teacher and a writer like I am, you practically have British roots in
your blood. I’m dying to visit the home of Shakespeare, Dickens and Austen,
among others.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgML2tFkRon7G30CfK_ds4J0YjMfTXWFGwW6vC3zRY63D0IZcKdytQnMHqoWxOivIxFCXQW_cNGdCNxUZrq3Pg92b0X8eJr8HrOBeyMUOsIougWLporj2-xJK-aAjlcT2ImyMlM4Vk2l2Hy/s1600/Allie+Author+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgML2tFkRon7G30CfK_ds4J0YjMfTXWFGwW6vC3zRY63D0IZcKdytQnMHqoWxOivIxFCXQW_cNGdCNxUZrq3Pg92b0X8eJr8HrOBeyMUOsIougWLporj2-xJK-aAjlcT2ImyMlM4Vk2l2Hy/s1600/Allie+Author+Photo.jpg" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="246" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">More about Allie:</span></b> </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Allie was born
and raised in a tiny community in upstate New York, which probably explains her
fascination with the magic of small town life. She earned her B.A. in English
from the University of Rochester in New York and a M.A. in English Literature
from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Since 1997, she has
enjoyed life in the northern NYC suburbs, where she lives with her husband and
teaches English and Education to high school students. In her spare time, she
and her husband love to travel.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Allie writes sensual
contemporary romance, reads in all genres and loves chatting with other readers
and writers about any topic under the sun. You can find her around the Web, at
writers' conferences, giving workshops, swapping stories, and generally
chatting about romance writing. Allie loves stories set in small towns and is a
firm believer in the power of love and the emotions that connect us all!</i></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>You can find Allie online here:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Website: <a href="http://www.allieboniface.com/">www.allieboniface.com</a>
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Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAllieBoniface">www.facebook.com/AuthorAllieBoniface</a>
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Twitter: @AllieBoniface1 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-45175764758749047232014-06-27T17:04:00.000-07:002014-06-29T21:47:07.262-07:00FABULOUS FIRSTS with... Jessi Gage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-large;">The first few sentences of... RECKLESS</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">One of the 10 novels in the new boxed set, </span><br />
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PASSIONATE KISSES, just 99 cents! (see the cover to the left)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xnAVOCcNGnHT_qp4YonbJwRGTWUG4S69WhNYrha4fVKp88R3QEQqLcpuUcbvUtdvKotzIDVrCG-RjZZ8zI5okoB1afhLcALkTs9SZ4-x5A-kzc-a7qxRSXArelvucnEqVRJ0M1twkqLj/s1600/JessiGage_Reckless_1400px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xnAVOCcNGnHT_qp4YonbJwRGTWUG4S69WhNYrha4fVKp88R3QEQqLcpuUcbvUtdvKotzIDVrCG-RjZZ8zI5okoB1afhLcALkTs9SZ4-x5A-kzc-a7qxRSXArelvucnEqVRJ0M1twkqLj/s1600/JessiGage_Reckless_1400px.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cami rang Mr. Johansen’s doorbell for the third time. Through the screen door, she </span></span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">heard him turn up the TV. For the third time.</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stifling a chuckle, she squinted through the dusty screen. The angle of the August sun made it impossible to see much of anything in the shag-carpeted living room beyond.</span></span></i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Passionate Kisses boxed set is available now!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Passionate-Kisses-Boxed-Set-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B00KPK4UNI/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1402347131&sr=1-2&keywords=passionate+kisses">Amazon</a><span style="font-size: large;"> | <a href="http://bit.ly/1lKhoUM">B&N</a> |</span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/passionate-kisses-boxed-set/id885808199?mt=11">iTunes</a><span style="font-size: large;"> |</span><a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/passionate-kisses-boxed-set">Kobo</a><span style="font-size: large;"> | </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Wendy_Ely_Passionate_Kisses_Boxed_Set?id=edOxAwAAQBAJ">GooglePlay</a><span style="font-size: large;"> | </span><a href="https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-passionatekissesboxedset-1527653-166.html">All Romance</a><span style="font-size: large;"> | </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22312602-passionate-kisses-boxed-set?from_search=true">Goodreads</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT JESSI</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Who was your first love?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Kirk Cameron. I mean look at that face! I was smitten with </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-7UWAxmGv0T812bJ7BlvQeQGmki80YINd9noanskta5is3ZVVAGZOOmzZKGOzOry7GJUytw183IXw0Ld3gMHRmKi-OJaeJs_a_jLEiTvaPM9bf5ie-fJN-lVRO0AEmNDNayR3XbQji5s/s1600/KirkCameron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-7UWAxmGv0T812bJ7BlvQeQGmki80YINd9noanskta5is3ZVVAGZOOmzZKGOzOry7GJUytw183IXw0Ld3gMHRmKi-OJaeJs_a_jLEiTvaPM9bf5ie-fJN-lVRO0AEmNDNayR3XbQji5s/s1600/KirkCameron.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></span></div>
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him in Growing Pains. Thinking I was all sly, I even joined his sister Candace’s fan club, hoping that maybe, somehow it would result in a chance meeting with Kirk. I know, I know. Stupid. But that’s teenage logic for you!</span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>What’s the first thing you do after you wake up in the morning (other than using the restroom LOL)?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Right now it’s summer vacation for my kindergartener, and I’m letting her and her 3yo brother go to bed a bit later than usual. Because I’m not setting the alarm to drive my girl to school, it’s usually one of my kids that wakes me up. I’m not going to lie; hugging my kids first thing in the morning is pretty sweet. Talk about starting the day off right!</span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>What’s the first thing you do when you start reading a new book? (ie: read the back cover blurb again or the inside front cover, the acknowledgments, the last page, etc)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">My Kindle always starts me out on the first page of the book, but I always, always go back to look at the cover. A great cover is just such an integral part of the reading experience</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_xpzG5d1WbTgnVUa_KPM2Paf6wD24PsnKzqmHEcFyJvpsns6epOQM2HslXRP1iSGatpQCTu2B5-EwLBSGQcatIN9Y2fRdrzhxMMRVZ7qugdPyuWe_7dtC14ephHg5YEVTNM6BY6Vxoqs/s1600/cover1_HoldOnTight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_xpzG5d1WbTgnVUa_KPM2Paf6wD24PsnKzqmHEcFyJvpsns6epOQM2HslXRP1iSGatpQCTu2B5-EwLBSGQcatIN9Y2fRdrzhxMMRVZ7qugdPyuWe_7dtC14ephHg5YEVTNM6BY6Vxoqs/s1600/cover1_HoldOnTight.jpg" /></a></div>
for me. Some of my favorite covers feature emotion. Whether it’s tenderness, passion, angst, trepidation… I love emotional covers. Here's one of my favorites right now:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">More about Jessi:</span></b> <i>Jessi lives with her husband and children </i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>in the Seattle area. She’s a passionate reader of all genres of romance, especially anything involving the paranormal. Ghosts, demons, vampires, witches, weres, faeries...you name it, she’ll read it. As for writing, she's sticking to Highlanders and contemporaries with a paranormal twist (for now). The last time she imagined a world without romance novels, her husband found her crouched in the corner, rocking.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">You can find her online here:</span></div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/VWaNJ2" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Website</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> | </span><a href="http://bit.ly/XPc1W8" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Blog</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> | </span><a href="http://on.fb.me/VIM1Q4" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Facebook Fan Page</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> | </span><a href="http://bit.ly/11xjxLT" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Twitter</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> | </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6468545.Jessi_Gage" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Goodreads</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> | </span><a href="http://eepurl.com/H9ABv" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Newsletter Sign-up</a></div>
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Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-71937893717089583862014-06-26T03:00:00.000-07:002014-06-26T03:00:01.955-07:00FABULOUS FIRSTS with...Kylie Gilmore<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ycMO2VUUdpVfVJtg58ldhqQTXHb11yT6zZhiEJzIzV-5A2nKNU5f4jKAopVH1mn3WB_0mEXkn6lR_p7rDC3D2jBxn3nJIFxYcayxiHU8RD9DmAwylMlhsmV1BteOKHsrzdp6OsCAwvjN/s1600/FF+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ycMO2VUUdpVfVJtg58ldhqQTXHb11yT6zZhiEJzIzV-5A2nKNU5f4jKAopVH1mn3WB_0mEXkn6lR_p7rDC3D2jBxn3nJIFxYcayxiHU8RD9DmAwylMlhsmV1BteOKHsrzdp6OsCAwvjN/s1600/FF+logo.jpg" height="133" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="font-size: xx-large;">The first few sentences of... </b></span></div>
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<b style="font-size: xx-large;">THE OPPOSITE OF WILD</b><br />
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<b style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhk716L0ZsVzczJ7ogDN_hzq9GheQbiPKaixWqCSSVPeq5xv5pnL712nAaQJMROrumfGArqUUU6Y16p6xm2ZRRSw6Pk5ImTV-sF7_JmrTbXiXr8l7OCyahekrNcv7xHlRMV_yEIDoPswcG/s1600/KylieGilmore_TheOppositeOfWild_600x900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhk716L0ZsVzczJ7ogDN_hzq9GheQbiPKaixWqCSSVPeq5xv5pnL712nAaQJMROrumfGArqUUU6Y16p6xm2ZRRSw6Pk5ImTV-sF7_JmrTbXiXr8l7OCyahekrNcv7xHlRMV_yEIDoPswcG/s1600/KylieGilmore_TheOppositeOfWild_600x900.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">
One of the 10 novels in the new boxed set, </div>
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PASSIONATE KISSES, just 99 cents! (see the cover to the left)</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Ryan O’Hare sat at the swank bar of the Four Seasons Hotel New York, the beer in front of him untouched, as he kept an eye on his mark. The short, bald man in a suit at the other end of the bar hadn’t ordered yet, and his eyes nervously scanned the lobby. Ryan’s phone vibrated. He glanced at the number, his younger brother Travis. Not now. I’m waiting for the money shot.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Available now at the following ebook retailers:</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Kindle: </span><a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Famzn.to%2F1l3LMoZ&h=fAQFEV6A6&enc=AZMJKwVCk5gK0dipcig2ctj2A5I86jwVevRQRZ18EnGMOGd161MbAtdLfU5xVRkCqZPcdGL3UkMCF_dKv9CLLmHgsrm3bhrMnq6BVaGLcSrFrKgiXER9nCCuJLnPud_Ujb8t8UkJRrSYLb8korB0cUW8&s=1">http://amzn.to/1l3LMoZ</a><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Nook: </span><a href="http://bit.ly/1lKhoUM">http://bit.ly/1lKhoUM</a><br /><span style="font-size: large;">iTunes:</span> <a href="http://bit.ly/1yDkj7y">http://bit.ly/1yDkj7y</a><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Kobo: </span><a href="http://bit.ly/1pttGAT">http://bit.ly/1pttGAT</a><br /><span style="font-size: large;">All Romance eBooks: </span><a href="http://bit.ly/1sy5DpM">http://bit.ly/1sy5DpM</a><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Google Play: </span><a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FTmEOoE&h=4AQFOGNFT&enc=AZOhO9iN53EfmmwQfYOaZ0bykI_0hP8PzzTGbopVUSeQVp98BiIxLAlQ881DhQj6kTPsyZxd3rJXAjMlEMkPx1vRYODS4ld09S_pN462jI2ZVtSUrqPmuzl6RexCOZqcAgttJI8iYKf7u7Os_3INaMJQ&s=1">http://bit.ly/TmEOoE</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT KYLIE</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>What was the first romance you ever read?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Kathleen Woodiwiss’ <i>The Flame and The Flower</i>. I was 15 and it was eye-opening indeed! I still love that book and was lucky enough to get to meet Kathleen at a romance writers conference. She was so inspiring and happy to answer the newbie questions I asked. I swear I’ll return the favor someday to another newbie in need of direction!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">What’s the first thing you do when you start writing a new story?</span></b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">First I’m looking around for character pictures to inspire me. Next is a playlist matched to the mood of the story. And, finally, I make a storyboard blocking out the scenes on Post-It notes. Then comes the hard part…writing the first draft. <shudder> Give me revisions any day.</shudder></span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>What’s the first thing you do when you start reading a new book? </b>(ie: read the back cover blurb again or the inside front cover, the acknowledgments, the last page, etc)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I’m all about the back cover blurb, then I read the first page. If those are good, I’ll read the whole thing. Note to self: make sure your cover blurb and first page grab the reader. Honestly, I can spend a week on that blurb and work the most on the first chapter. So, so important.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>More about Kylie:</b> Kylie Gilmore was lucky enough to discover romance novels at a young age as they were strewn all over the house (thanks, Mom!). She writes quirky, tender romance with a solid dose of humor. Her Clover Park series </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgR8T3dfb21h5Fg6Wll2P5ZXKV6CGnJYLNtq71AtT_iUZstmx9H3VSW8mWc6B_Io4NWQAM-RZX4gwfbHKYZ7HuDQMfUUUqzcGqBRQWGq0XuGoKLenxslJ3aUxyBjlTvcmSWO667AH3Z2Oh/s1600/KylieGilmore4-profile120px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgR8T3dfb21h5Fg6Wll2P5ZXKV6CGnJYLNtq71AtT_iUZstmx9H3VSW8mWc6B_Io4NWQAM-RZX4gwfbHKYZ7HuDQMfUUUqzcGqBRQWGq0XuGoKLenxslJ3aUxyBjlTvcmSWO667AH3Z2Oh/s1600/KylieGilmore4-profile120px.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></span></div>
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features the O’Hare brothers, three guys you’d definitely have a drink with and maybe a little more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Kylie lives in New York with her family, two cats, and a nutso dog. When she’s not writing, wrangling kids, or dutifully taking notes at writing conferences, you can find her flexing her muscles all the way to the high cabinet for her secret chocolate stash.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>You can find her online here:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.kyliegilmore.com/">http://www.kyliegilmore.com</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://twitter.com/KylieGilmoreToo">https://twitter.com/KylieGilmoreToo</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/KylieGilmoreToo">https://www.facebook.com/KylieGilmoreToo</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/KylieGilmore">https://www.goodreads.com/KylieGilmore</a></span></div>
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Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-39058300200790467822014-06-25T08:51:00.002-07:002014-06-25T20:56:41.108-07:00FABULOUS FIRSTS with...Sydney Holmes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ycMO2VUUdpVfVJtg58ldhqQTXHb11yT6zZhiEJzIzV-5A2nKNU5f4jKAopVH1mn3WB_0mEXkn6lR_p7rDC3D2jBxn3nJIFxYcayxiHU8RD9DmAwylMlhsmV1BteOKHsrzdp6OsCAwvjN/s1600/FF+logo.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ycMO2VUUdpVfVJtg58ldhqQTXHb11yT6zZhiEJzIzV-5A2nKNU5f4jKAopVH1mn3WB_0mEXkn6lR_p7rDC3D2jBxn3nJIFxYcayxiHU8RD9DmAwylMlhsmV1BteOKHsrzdp6OsCAwvjN/s1600/FF+logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The first few lines of...AWAKENING</span></span></b></span><br />
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One of the 10 novels in the new boxed set, </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">
PASSIONATE KISSES, just 99 cents! (see the cover to the left)</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Jack London’s is crowded and we all squeeze into a table </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP56Phwi9vt6o664KoPWVbATYk4d1f4Kz_xP87wztvgKWMbcZor-M-HMGWppVSLOxAq2Dl19zdfZCkCrTdbGtwBd2nae4n8-gRH76ToSUrJeTgI-kULgQ960djtnjYZCb_BRKHou0CDaGA/s1600/Awakening+BLOG+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP56Phwi9vt6o664KoPWVbATYk4d1f4Kz_xP87wztvgKWMbcZor-M-HMGWppVSLOxAq2Dl19zdfZCkCrTdbGtwBd2nae4n8-gRH76ToSUrJeTgI-kULgQ960djtnjYZCb_BRKHou0CDaGA/s1600/Awakening+BLOG+Cover.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></span></i></div>
<i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">near the back. We’re far from the bar, but close to the bathroom, so I guess it works out. </span> </i><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Carrie, Joanne, Willow, and I are here with Sophia to celebrate her 24th birthday. We all met at Stanford; Joanne, Sophia, and I were starry-eyed freshmen and Carrie and Willow were sophomore roommates giving us the lowdown on college life. Even back then, Sophia was a cute, whip smart, blonde with an athletic body. Not much has changed over the years.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Available now as part of the </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Passionate Kisses boxed set, just 99 cents!!!</span></b></span><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show">Kindle: <a href="http://amzn.to/1l3LMoZ" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://amzn.to/1l3LMoZ</a><br /> Nook: <a href="http://bit.ly/1lKhoUM" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1lKhoUM</a><br /> iTunes: <a href="http://bit.ly/1yDkj7y" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1yDkj7y</a><br /> Kobo: <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F1pttGAT&h=GAQGsbTv2&enc=AZPPLyI-Gk6cHGeMVymtXmTy2VD__kTh8Ualp3gf3FHKtAbrT2rnNV51Y5WwAYgmDk7Tsv__kUIMEBSSA76tEo1z-cNss9AT26D0PRu7XA7D4RbCZzUpBo15lVIXS7rrzjv59WTb_6yT9HScS3vlx6Dx&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1pttGAT</a><br /> All Romance eBooks: <a href="http://bit.ly/1sy5DpM" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/1sy5DpM</a><br /> Google Play: <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FTmEOoE&h=BAQGyyeR9&enc=AZNSjD9AbbEZIsvGGfMsf2vR5jUIxbf8t8PXkT2dT2IcGJKFFHtk6xo_b9QMefhUgcRm7OLVBt8CsVZ3tqtBrRYwojHzvz8Tp3mLDECMF2Viw_VeEoVzxnqeXHjOTkXlYzkSC69uzcPCD0a-_n_L80Nu&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/TmEOoE</a></span></span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT SYDNEY</span></b></span></div>
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<b style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What was the first Rated R movie you ever saw? </span></span> </b><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: magenta;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /></b><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The first movie I ever saw in a theater was actually an R rated movie called Silent Scream – a horror flick from back in the eighties. It was terrible. I don’t remember much, but girls in their underwear wandering around at night and then getting slashed to bits. Ugh, I couldn’t believe it , and it took years before I could go back to the theatre. </span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b style="color: magenta;">What’s the first thing you do after you wake up in the morning (other than using the restroom LOL)?</b> </span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I usually wake up to a hot steamy cup of coffee that my husband brings me. Even though these days I’m off of caffeine, I still need that first cup to function. And yes, I’m that lucky; my husband is so awesome he brings me coffee in bed every morning! </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<b style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What was the first meal you made for your significant other? </span></span> </b><span style="font-size: large;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I had just moved into this tiny apartment, I think they called it a studio. I wanted to impress him with my domestic skills (Um, for the record I don’t have any of those.) Not wanting to over reach, I made burritos thinking that was safe enough, I mean what could go wrong with burritos? The cheese wasn’t melting fast enough and I was getting anxious so I put the oven on broil. The next thing I know flames are licking out the oven doors. He reached in – with an oven mitt - and pulled out the pan; both burritos had flames shooting out of them! Dinner’s ready honey!! </span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>More about Sydney:</b></span> </span><i><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZHxns0BUEf5ZkuIWWuJ7UQthNK73rNdf3llhlaZNQy72VGBIu29KBqho9aylDlOyegabhHpzlstGpOpYt77hvra7K9FA182z4UQrwwEc168rZmg8ylFoXViXNIuRRf3WM23i8WnQLmz7/s1600/FB-Profile-Picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZHxns0BUEf5ZkuIWWuJ7UQthNK73rNdf3llhlaZNQy72VGBIu29KBqho9aylDlOyegabhHpzlstGpOpYt77hvra7K9FA182z4UQrwwEc168rZmg8ylFoXViXNIuRRf3WM23i8WnQLmz7/s1600/FB-Profile-Picture.jpg" /></a></span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Sydney Holmes writes contemporary romance with an </i><i>erotic flair, or as she likes to say, “Hot and spicy romance that keeps you up at night!” She believes there is nothing more exciting than reading a hot, sexy story about two people searching for themselves and getting lost in each other. Sydney found her HEA with her wonderful husband and they now have two amazing children. She graduated from The George Washington University with a BS in Political Science and holds a Master’s Degree in Education. She lives near the ocean in California and travels as often as she can.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>You can find her online here:</b> </span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/sydneyholmesauthor.com">www.SydneyHolmes.com</a></span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>The first few sentences of...</b></span></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-large;">21st CENTURY </b><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-large;">RAKE</b><br />
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One of the 10 novels in the new boxed set, </div>
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PASSIONATE KISSES, just 99 cents! (see the cover to the left)</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>Asher Corbin turned side on and sized himself up in the cheval mirror. This was a good look for him. The black jacket fit like a glove, as did the dove grey waistcoat. The cut of the pants was tight, even by today's skinny jeans standard. And the high boots were simply wicked.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Available now at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Barbour/e/B00E348HF4/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1403098003&sr=1-2-ent">Amazon</a>!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT VICTORIA</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">What was the first romance you ever read?</span></b><span style="color: #222222;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Wow. That’s hard. I was digging into my grandmother’s romance novels from a pretty early age. But I think the first one I can remember is “Forever Amber” by Kathleen Winsor. I loved that book. The grittiness. The plague. The desperation of Amber to become something. Her willful use of her sexuality to try and change her lot in life. Her heartbreak. The King and the court. His little King Charles Cavalier Spaniels. I remember so much of that book even though it’s been years since I’ve read it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">What was your first date with your significant other? </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I love our first date. I met my husband at a party on campus. I was a mature student who was taking university very seriously. He came to the party with a friend. For about two weeks he tried to get me to go out with him but it was exam time so I wouldn’t. During that time I was working the night shift at my parent’s restaurant which doesn’t close until </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2075591020" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">3 am</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">. He called me at work and asked me out that night. I told him I didn’t get off until 3. He didn’t care. “I’ll stay awake,” he said. As luck would have it, I got delayed and wasn’t able to meet him until closer to </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_2075591021" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">4 am</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">. We met at a local 24 hour coffee shop. He had hot chocolate and I had coffee, of course. We talked and talked and talked. When we left the coffee shop we talked more outside, sitting on a picnic table in the cold Newfoundland dark you can only feel in April. I still remember the neon green sign of the local hardward store shining down. Finally as it neared 7, I told him I had to go home. I was doing Easter bunny duty for my cousins who were staying with us. The entire drive home we chatting on our cell phones and I recall sitting in the driveway till almost 8, still talking. It was sweet and romantic and as I walked into the house, instead of feeling like I was doing the walk of shame (which I’d done plenty of in my life) I felt as if I’d met someone who was real, and kind, and totally worth talking to for hours on end for the rest of my life.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">My first grade teacher was a lovely woman named Rosemary Ryan. I remember being terrified of her at first. She had a very minor physical disability. But she was sweet and encouraging. My best memory of her was when she brought in a newspaper and asked how many kids knew what this was. (Oh, I should say for the record that I went to an all-girls school so there were no naughty boys around to hamper our intellectual development. But there were plenty of naughty girls!) Anyway, as she explains to the class what a news paper is –this was 1981- some kids admit to looking at the comics. Myself and my friend admit to reading the paper. Miss Ryan didn’t believe us and had us come up in front of the class and read a bit of the paper, thus proving that we could indeed read at a higher level than she gave us credit for. I think it was after that that my reading assignments also got more difficult.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">More about Victoria:</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"> <i>Victoria lives on the island of Newfoundland, and is fiercely proud of her home. She can imagine no better setting for her Heart’s Ease series of contemporary romances, and hopes that her readers will one day come to witness Newfoundland and Labrador's rustic beauty for themselves. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>She was born in St. John's, and raised above her family's fish and chips restaurant. She has traveled and lived in other parts of Canada, but chose to make her home where her heart has long resided. Victoria has a degree in History from Memorial University of Newfoundland, with a minor in Newfoundland Studies. The only thing that stands between her and a Master's degree in History from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia is her thesis. She has a background in broadcast journalism, advertising, and marketing. She is a proud member of both the Romance Writers of America (RWA) and their affiliate chapter, Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada (RWAC). </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Victoria counts herself lucky to be surrounded by an incredibly supportive family, and thanks her husband daily for his unerring faith in her, and for being a wonderful father to their infant son.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>You can find Victoria online here:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://victoriabarbour.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://victoriabarbour.com</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/victoriabarbourromance" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>victoriabarbourromance</a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Twitter: @vickibarabour<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Goodreads:<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7124216.Victoria_Barbour" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>goodreads.com/author/show/<wbr></wbr>7124216.Victoria_Barbour</a></span></div>
Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2295513765923392477.post-40237397219445771562014-06-23T02:00:00.000-07:002014-06-25T21:00:38.191-07:00FABULOUS FIRSTS with...Liz Kelly<div>
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One of the 10 novels in the new boxed set, </div>
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PASSIONATE KISSES, just 99 cents! (see the cover to the left)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Brooks Bennett ran a hand through his short copper curls and blew out a long breath as he studied his surroundings. Their favorite college haunt seemed smaller and dingier, </i><br />
<i>though the same stale smells of cooking grease and spilled beer lingered. They’d celebrated their College World Series win right here almost seven years ago. Seven years. Fucking A.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Available now as part of the </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">PASSIONATE KISSES boxed set.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Just 99 cents for TEN full-length novels</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Passionate-Kisses-Boxed-Set-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B00KPK4UNI">Kindle</a>| <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/passionate-kisses-boxed-set-wendy-ely/1119742554?ean=2940149719105">Nook </a>| <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/passionate-kisses-boxed-set">Kobo </a>| <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/passionate-kisses-boxed-set/id885808199?ls=1&mt=11">iTunes </a>| <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Wendy_Ely_Passionate_Kisses_Boxed_Set?id=edOxAwAAQBAJ">Google Play</a>| </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-passionatekissesboxedset-1527653-166.html">All Romance eBooks</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">FUN FIRST FACTS ABOUT LIZ</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Who was your first love? </b>Jack Lynch. We were 13 and it was a summer romance. He walked me home. Slow danced with me. Held hands. So romantic. (Still great friends to this day.)<br /><br /><b>What was the first romance you ever read? </b><i>The Flame and The Flower</i> by Kathleen Woodiwiss. I was in 10th grade when Carla Christiansen leaned over during English class and whispered, “I’m reading a book. It has sex in it.” I went home that night and told my mother we need to get that book. She had heard of it too so she sent my father to the bookstore on his way home from work to get both The Flame and The Flower along with The Wolf and The Dove. And he did! (He’s also my biggest fan.) Ooooh, they were so good, I was hooked on romance for the rest of my life!<br /><br /><b>What was your first date with your significant other? </b>“Disco Dance” party in college. Had to dress up and it was a sorority function so I had to ask him to it. Turned out well!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">More about Liz</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Growing up every summer in a place where dancing and romancing are literally part of its theme song, Liz Kelly can't help but be a romantic at heart. A graduate of Wake Forest University, where she met her golf-addicted </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PaqNPo0MiPB2r39YWeEv4PZ31K-R2666pSt2JSHGs4sahmFwZmISTLwM1vnUfxMJPqDahjq73DaPYJb8q9QBhAmFUn_4OkwiaNy9XqHsuGAEF0LYYVUL5dd4umgyuz_hNAGeQSV7R-jT/s1600/DSC07724+-+Version+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PaqNPo0MiPB2r39YWeEv4PZ31K-R2666pSt2JSHGs4sahmFwZmISTLwM1vnUfxMJPqDahjq73DaPYJb8q9QBhAmFUn_4OkwiaNy9XqHsuGAEF0LYYVUL5dd4umgyuz_hNAGeQSV7R-jT/s1600/DSC07724+-+Version+2.jpeg" height="200" width="133" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">husband, (who is now sporting dark glasses everywhere he goes) Liz is a mother of two sons (also sporting dark glasses) and a miniature Labradoodle. They live in the Fountain of Youth, a.k.a. Naples, FL where dancing and romancing continues on ad infinitum.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You can learn even more about Liz on her website:</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.lizkellybooks.com/"><span style="font-size: x-large;">www.LizKellyBooks.com</span></a></div>
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Rebecca J. Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905246522578561864noreply@blogger.com1